Here's how the playoffs would look if the season ended today

As the NHL regular season heads down the home stretch, it's time to focus our eyes on the postseason and the implications that every remaining game has on the Stanley Cup Playoffs. While far from set in stone, the playoff picture is coming into focus more with each passing day, so here's where we'll keep tabs on what postseason matchups are looking likely, as well as which teams are set for early summer vacations.

Format

The Stanley Cup playoffs feature 16 total teams, with eight qualifiers from each of the league's two conferences. The top three teams from each division automatically qualify, plus two wild cards from each conference. The playoffs feature three rounds of conference play before the Stanley Cup Final, with every series from start-to-finish being a best of seven. As such, the eventual Stanley Cup champion will need to win 16 total postseason games in order to hoist the Cup.

When do the playoffs start?

The NHL regular season will end on April 6 and the playoffs typically begin a few days later. An official schedule has not been released yet, but the playoffs tend to run from early-to-mid April until mid-to-late June.

Watch regional NHL games and prime-time nationally televised games all season long through fuboTV (Try for free).

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Pete Blackburn is from Boston, so there's a good chance you don't like him already. He has been a writer at CBS Sports since 2017 and usually aims to take a humorous and light-hearted approach to the often...
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